Local chairman

Sligo-based woodman Francis Presley is on a mission to prove that our native ash is good for something other than firewood and the odd hurley. Using traditional hand tools and ancient skills, he magics unseasoned ash thinnings into greenwood chairs and benches. Some of the pieces are augmented with details of birch, hazel and willow, and the wood is also locally harvested.

His quirky creations are sturdy and long-lasting, and can be left outside, the same as other garden furniture. Because the wood is unfinished, it may go through a spotty adolescent stage before settling into richly-toned and attractive maturity. Presley can be found on Saturdays and Sundays at St Nicholas’s Market in Galway, if he’s not at an outdoor event elsewhere in the country.

He’ll be at the Electric Picnic next weekend, showing how he cleaves and shaves raw ash into furniture. His chairs cost from €75, while two-seater benches are from €150. See francispresley.com, or tel: 083-3831315.